Topic Claims Professionals
What four home insurers told the auditor general about illegal electrical work
December 8, 2020 by Greg MeckbachSome Ontario homeowners could collect insurance money on property claims even if the damage was caused by illegal electrical work, the auditor general suggests in her report released Monday. Staff with the province’s Office of the Auditor General contacted four…
Fort McMurray residents still cleaning, considering options after spring flooding
December 8, 2020 by The Canadian PressFORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – More than seven months ago, Cora Dion and her husband fled Fort McMurray for the second time in four years as a spring flood threatened their home in northern Alberta. They returned to a soggy mess…
How Ottawa is trying to lower earthquake related property losses
December 7, 2020 by Greg MeckbachNatural Resources Canada is hoping to help insurers cut their loss costs with a yet-to-be released earthquake early warning system. The warning system could provide seconds to tens of seconds of warning before a location is affected by strong shaking,…
Wildfire damage is not like a Godzilla attack. Why that matters to Cat modellers
December 7, 2020 by Greg MeckbachA client’s structure can remain standing after a wildfire, even when other buildings in the same neighbourhood burn down, because dozens of factors affect a property’s risk, experts said Thursday during a webinar. “The interesting thing about wildfire is [that]…
Mother Nature’s wrath
December 7, 2020 by Derek ClouthierAlberta continues to endure the most expensive insured weather events in Canada. What’s happening and what can be done about it?
Industry urged to get high-quality data into the hands of decision-makers
December 4, 2020 by Adam MalikGetting consistent, high-quality scientific data into the hands of decision makers can protect people from the fallout of bad choices leading up to a catastrophe, such as what’s happened in Fort McMurray, Alta., a catastrophic data expert says. But it…
The advantage of merging insurers by telework
November 27, 2020 by Greg MeckbachWhen COVID-19 was officially declared a pandemic nearly nine months ago, Jean-François Chalifoux was helping to lead the merger that formed Canada’s largest mutual insurer. “I was in Montreal March 12 [2020] and at 11:00 a.m. sharp, the [National Hockey…
AXA XL names new chief agent
November 25, 2020 by Greg MeckbachGlen Hopkinson is now interim country manager in Canada for AXA XL Insurance. Urs Uhlmann had been AXA XL’s Canadian country manager from 2018 until this past October. On his LinkedIn profile, Uhlmann reports he is now “open for exciting…
The Alberta hail cat has not stopped biting
November 23, 2020 by Greg MeckbachInsurers are still receiving new claims from the June 2020 Alberta hail storm that is estimated to have cost the industry more than $1 billion. “We are actually still seeing some new losses reported from the June storm today,” said…
Lights. Camera. Claims action!
November 20, 2020 by David GambrillIn the Canadian entertainment industry, time is money, and so when the global pandemic forced time to stand still, it hit the entertainment industry with the force of a catastrophic event. When COVID-19 hit, Crawford & Company’s adjuster and film…
What happened to this therapist who was convicted of insurance fraud
November 17, 2020 by Greg MeckbachAn Ajax, Ont. woman who billed claimants and insurers for therapy services that were never performed has lost her bid to appeal her criminal convictions to the Supreme Court of Canada. In 2008, a motor vehicle accident victim went to…
Adjusters monitoring Ontario windstorm as a “potential” Cat event
November 16, 2020 by Jason ContantClaims adjusters are watching to see if an overnight Ontario windstorm will meet the $25-million threshold of a natural catastrophe (NatCat). As of September, Canadian P&C companies had paid out $2.1 billion for insured NatCat events this year. For now,…